Permanent outdoor stage for home use

ABSTRACT

The disclosed invention is a permanent, low-profile outdoor stage that resulted from achievement of objectives to build a home-based site for developing performing artists to practice their art. The stage&#39;s performance floor simulates floor-features on which users normally carry out training, recitals and competitions. Between practice sessions the stage can be left uncovered and unattended without being damaged by environmental elements while still retaining its desired original structural and functional qualities. The stage&#39;s novelty pertains to composition of its performance floor that is made of matte-finished high-density polyethylene, and the process by which this surface is anchored to the stage&#39;s rigid base. The stage is functionally spacious, strong and safe. This stage&#39;s novel performance floor, its potential extended utility, its durability against outdoor environmental conditions, and its carefree maintenance combine to make the invention unique in its field.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/602,931 filed on May 12, 2017.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The invention (referred to in the proceeding narrative as “current invention”) relates to performance stages or platforms designed for permanent placement and use outdoors in a home setting by developing performing artists.

2. Description of Prior Art

The utility of prior art (Pat. Application No. JP3185536U, and Pat. No. CN205502649U, U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,241, U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,596, U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,425, U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,004 A, U.S. Pat. No. 7,452,586 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,592) separately addresses topics pertinent to the current invention such as surface qualities of stage floors, an outdoor ambience for a stage performance, and the value of weatherable materials for outdoor floors. While prior art creations may serve purposes they address, they are not suitable for an individual performance stage or platform designed for permanent placement and use outdoors in a home setting so young, developing dancers or like performing artists can practice their art.

Japanese Pat. Application No. JP3185536U discloses an indoor-outdoor dance platform (a stage) capable of being rotated through power provided by an electric motor and designed to serve multiple or a group of entertainers. The purpose of this invention is to afford spectators, regardless of where they are seated around the stage, an enface view of performers. The motor that rotates the floor 360 degrees is installed under the performance platform and the motor's speed is controlled by performers using a foot-switch. This performance stage is designed to serve multiple performers and is not intended for individual use at home. Although this invention could be placed outdoors, there is no indication in the disclosure that the stage would endure environmental conditions if left outdoors on a permanent basis.

Chinese Pat. No. CN205502649U, entitled “360 Theater is Performed in All Weather to Multistage Open-Close Type,” refers to an outdoor performance stage that is part of a large covered auditorium with movable walls engineered to transform an enclosed screen theater into a covered performance stage that exposes the audience to an open-air environment. Though capable of presenting a partial outdoor setting to a large audience, this theater's vast size and its design to entertain through screen-to-performance stage and stage-to-screen venues serve a different purpose than that addressed by the current invention. This “360 theater” is not designed for personal or home use.

Max (U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,241), addressing quality of personal dance floors, discloses a stage designed for tap dancers with a surface that reproduces the sound of tap dancing and reflects this sound to the dancer. In addition to sound transmission, a practical quality targeted in the stage's construction is that it is capable of being moved from one site to another by the user. Max's prior art is a folding, two-piece, 24-foot square smooth surfaced dancing platform made of hardwood parquet squares glued over a plywood base that folds into two opposing three-by four-foot sections. Hinges are used to connect the two sections together and handles are attached to assist the user in moving the platform from one dance site to another. Clearly, this dance floor emits and transmits appropriate sounds from floor to dancer, and possesses optimal size for portability. However, this prior art is designed for tap dancers, to the exclusion of other performing artists. Through its purpose and construction, the stage is meant for indoor use. Being susceptible to outside environmental elements, this platform would not last if placed in an outdoor setting on a permanent basis.

Leslie and Jines (U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,596), with concern for surface quality of a dance stage, disclose, as one of many embodiments, a smooth surfaced octagon-shaped performance platform in which the height can be adjusted to make it level, regardless of the surface where it is placed. The stage's surface is made of eight pie-shaped or isosceles triangular segments connected at their apexes through use of a unique connecting hub. An adjustable web or belt extends around the outer periphery of platform to hold the segments together. Each segment, is supported by a leg that can be adjusted to raise or lower the segment to achieve a level stage. The octagon-shaped embodiment is one of many where the triangular segments that comprise basic building blocks can be arranged in different configurations to change the size and shape of the dancing surface. By design, this dance stage can be assembled to adapt the final structure to different performance areas. Though temporary outdoor use is a possibility, the purpose of this stage is to provide an adjustable height dance platform that is portable and adaptable in size to fit available indoor space. This prior art is designed to provide a temporary, not permanent, stage.

Cova (U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,425), discloses prior art representing modular designed performance floors. Noted are that dance performances held in areas not normally used for dance necessitate a temporary floor construction that must be portable. Thus, a targeted purpose of this prior art is portability. Elaborated on in construction of this prior art is the smooth, continuous, firmness needed in a dance floor, qualities strived for in this invention of a floor comprised of a plurality of similar plywood surfaced pallet-like modules. These modules are designed to be placed on top of another floor surface, not suitable for dancing. Modules are treated like large tiles, laid and connected in a continuous floor pattern that meets user needs. This modular floor, like others in the field, is designed for portability and use indoors. Outdoor use would be possible, but only on an interim basis.

Mitchell (U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,004 A) and Vershum (U.S. Pat. No. 7,452,586 B2) provide disclosures that exemplify floor coverings specifically created for use outdoors. Mitchell discloses a floor designed for impact attenuation and cushioning to be used for children's playgrounds to reduce injuries from accidental falls. This floor involves blocks of molded rubber secured to a resilient supporting structure. Blocks are connected by creatively designed fasteners. Mitchell's invention provides a surface system, that can be made using known rubber molding methods, includes a novel method to fasten the rubber blocks together without use of tools, and results in a surface that is long-wearing and long-lasting outdoors and safe for playground users. Vershum discloses a plastic floor covering for outdoor use that allows air and moisture to pass through it. In one of multiple embodiments, the floor covering has a first layer made of a low-density polyethylene foam connected to a second layer made of a polyethylene film. This floor covering is permeable. A plurality of perforations is designed into the covering that extend through the first and second layers to allow air and moisture to pass through. Both Mitchell's and Vershum's prior art disclosures focus on the use of weatherable floor coverings suitable for outdoor use, rubber in one case and plastic in the other, but do not specifically address the utility of using these coverings for a stage to be placed outdoors on a permanent basis for personal use at home.

Andres (U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,592) discloses a weatherable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) co-extrusion substrate to use for floor assemblies, such as an outdoor residential deck. The assembled floor consists of a plurality of PVC extrusions butted together and mounted on snaps connected to wood joists that serve as a rigid support. Andres, in envisioning extended utility of a floor comprised of the PVC extrusions, mentions potential use for boat docks, enclosed patios, and dance floors. As declared, the assembled floor, because of its PVC surface with multiple depressions between extrusions, is slip resistant. Suggestion that an assembly of these PVC extrusions may potentially serve as a dance floor is confounded by multiple seams or depressions in the floor. Such obtrusions would prevent full expression of performance-related body movements of users and present potential safety issues, especially regarding footwear.

While prior art creations are imaginative and suitable for purposes intended, they do not serve the purpose addressed by the current invention. Conception of the current invention emerged from the desire to build a personal, home-based, outdoor stage for developing performing artists to practice their art, the specific utility of which thus far is lacking in the field. Like successful sports figures who require fields, courts, gyms or special facilities to hone skills, young, developing dancers and related performers, such as baton twirlers, require special accommodations to practice and gain proficiency in their arts. A common remedy to satisfy user needs for such a practice site is to procure time in a gymnasium or indoor studio. However, such venues can be costly, require time-consuming travel, and are conditioned by scheduling availability, often leading to inconvenient and irregular rehearsals. An assumed correlation between a user's desire to practice and timely access to a practice site that affords maximum opportunity to improve proficiency, is the central tenet on which the desire to provide a home-based stage was pursued.

A home stage, besides ready availability, must meet other requirements, such as providing proper performance space. While dancers require horizontal space, other performing artists, such as baton twirlers, additionally require vertical space free of overhead obstructions. Such space is available outdoors. In considering an outdoor site for a performance stage, requirements in addition to adequate space must be met. Universal among these is that the performance floor must be flat, smooth and firm to promote performance-related motions and actions, and these floor qualities must be sustainable. Because safety is important, a suitable performance stage must facilitate user actions without harm to body or performance-related wear, such as shoes. Further requirements are that the stage must be sturdy, easy to maintain between usages, and withstand constant environmental vicissitudes. Relative to these requirements, commonly available outside venues only partially meet desired needs as a practice site.

Concrete surfaces, such as driveways, sidewalks, or stoned patio and poolside areas provide a flat surface, are enduring and require minimal upkeep, but do not possess other performance-related qualities found at users authentic practice sites. The roughness and rigidity of concrete or stoned surfaces inhibit routines and imaginative movements of performers and damage delicate footwear. Wooden decks made of weather-resistant lumber and painted to resist outside environmental elements are flat, sturdy and enduring, but present too many obtrusive seams and warp or splinter over time, hindering performance-related body movements and presenting safety issues. Clearly, depressions and protrusions in a performance floor are considered flaws that must be mitigated.

Personal experience of the current inventor provides evidence that a stage with a wood performance floor constructed using sheets of plywood to avoid excessive floor seams, or depressions, even when covered with several coats of paint to enhance durability, does not last in an outdoor setting. Glue that holds laminated wood together when chronically exposed to moisture breaks down, causing the wood to warp, crack, delaminate and splinter. Alternatively, composite outdoor dance floors that are made of modular interlocking wood or vinyl segments and which satisfy functional floor qualities can be rented through vendors. However, such floors are made of weather-affected parts that dictate they be used outdoors only on a temporary basis. Such floors must be disassembled after short-term use outdoors and stored indoors to last. If used for an extended period outdoors, these floors must be covered, as under a tent, to protect against weather-related damage.

Present home venues have shortcomings in providing a suitable outdoor practice site for young performing artists. Outdoor performance platforms, stages or theaters in the field, evident in patent disclosures, are appropriate for purposes for which they were designed. However, prior art does not include an outdoor dance stage that is designed for personal use and permanent placement outside the home, that possesses surface qualities like those at authentic sites where users are taught, have recitals or compete, and that can endure outdoors long-term without concern for day-to-day upkeep. In these respects, the current invention departs from concepts and designs of prior art to fill a void in the field. Though combining attributes of prior art, such as imparting surface characteristics to a stage floor desired by performing artists, and providing a weather-resistant surface designed for outdoor use, and targeting purposes for which prior art was created, such as performing in an open-air setting, the current invention imaginatively integrates protean structural and functional qualities into a unique personal performance stage for permanent use outdoors that to date is not available in the field.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The current invention, designed to meet needs of developing performing artists, resulted from achievement of plural objectives.

A primary objective was to provide an outdoor stage that is readily available for users to practice their art.

Another objective was to provide a stage that can be accommodated in a user's home setting.

Another objective was to provide a stage that is sturdy, immobile and safely supports the weight of users.

Another objective was to provide a stage that offers a performance floor possessing qualities found in authentic venues where users practice and compete, one that is spacious, flat, smooth and firm, accommodating user needs to easily execute gliding and turning actions and combinations of body movements that define their art.

Another objective was to provide a stage that is safe, where user actions are facilitated without harm to body or performance-related wear.

Another objective was to provide a stage that, between practices, requires little user intervention to maintain.

Another objective was to provide a stage that when left unattended and uncovered for lengthy periods outdoors is enduring in its capacity to withstand environmental conditions while maintaining original structural and functional qualities.

In accomplishment of these objectives, the invention that embodies desired structural and functional characteristics is portrayed in the accompanying description and drawings.

The preferred embodiment is an open-air 8-foot by 8-foot square stage for home use, designed to be placed in a backyard setting, anywhere there is room for its sixty-four-square foot imprint. The preferred embodiment is comprised vertically of two primary parts, a six and one-half inch high rigid base and a one-half-inch thick performance floor. The two parts are comprised of materials resistant to damage by outside elements and are held together with screws.

Two features highlight the invention's originality. First is the use of sheets of high density polyethylene (HDPE) for its performance floor. This material possesses inherent characteristics that provide sought-after physical and functional qualities for an outdoor performance floor. Second is the way that HDPE sheets are anchored (attached permanently), with screws, to the base. The anchoring process had to meet several requirements. The process had to mitigate possible changes that perceptibly disrupt the smoothness of the stage surface and impede performers' movements. That is, the anchoring process had to mitigate possible changes to the surface caused by attachment hardware or processes used in attaching the performance floor to the stage base. Such changes include those that could present a safety issue to users or to user-related attire, such as shoes. Mitigating these potential pitfalls involved challenges presented by inherent expansion and contraction of HDPE that occurs with shifts in outside temperature. Subsequently, a novel process was derived by the current inventor to secure the HDPE surface material to the stage's rigid base without interfering functionally with the smooth surface of the performance floor for which HDPE was originally chosen, and which accommodated compliance characteristics of the sheets of HDPE.

The finished stage provides a performance floor with desired qualities designed for practice outdoors by developing performing artists. The stage provides service without concern for day-to-day upkeep. This means when left unattended for lengthy periods the stage withstands harsh natural environmental conditions, such as weather changes, constant exposure to rain, high humidity or moisture, ultraviolet sun rays and attacks by insects, all which can potentially cause undesirable changes in the stage's structural and functional qualities. The stage is safe and immobile. The load-limit is defined by its capacity to support the combined weight of ten adults with no perceptible signs of stress to the stage's structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Three drawings (FIGS. 1-3) show essential features of the invention, a performance stage, and how it is constructed. The relevance of the performance floor's structure and qualities in providing sought functions, and the novel process by which this floor is anchored (permanently attached) to the stage's base will become better understood by reading the accompanying description and claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates the invention, as viewed from an above angle. Emphasized is the stage's HDPE performance floor 1 and two of its four similar sides. Evident on the performance floor is a pattern of pilot holes 2, represented by dots and through which screws are inserted to attach the performance floor to the base of the stage. Also evident is the single seam 3. The bordering trim 4, also comprised of HDPE, protects the performance floor. Bordering trim 4 is pocked with pilot holes along its length through which trim screws are inserted to attach it to side ribs 5. Side ribs 5 are attached to outer base boards 6. Ventilation holes 7 are drilled in base boards 6, three on each side. Lower edges of base boards 6 contact the ground and upper edges support base cross boards. Cross boards (hidden by the performance floor) and bordering trim on two sides are not shown, omitted to simplify reader interpretation of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 illustrates the invention's base as viewed from the top. Outer base boards 6 form the periphery of the base, and, along with four inner base boards 8, support the base cross boards 9, four of which are shown. Upper edges of outer 6 and inner 8 base boards are visible, and the opposite, lower edges are positioned on the ground, the stance assumed when the stage is completed. At six points along the length of the cross boards, paired dots illustrate the position of deck screws 10 that attach cross boards 9 to inner 8 and outer 6 base boards. A small triangular section of the performance floor 1, with nine pilot holes (dots) 2, is included to illustrate the spatial relationship of the performance floor 1 to the base cross boards 9 to which the performance floor is directly connected.

FIG. 3 illustrates, through an exploded cross-sectional view, a trim screw 11 in fixed position within one of the pilot holes (see FIG. 1 for pilot hole distribution pattern on the performance floor) drilled in the stage's performance floor 1. Depicted is the pilot hole's two-tiered structure, with the upper tier of greater diameter than the lower tier. The underside of the trim screw 11 head comes to rest at the juncture of the upper and lower tiers of the pilot hole. That is, in a countersunk position. The threaded part of the trim screw traverses the entire thickness of the base cross board 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A detailed description is presented so that a person skilled in the art of the field can understand all structural components in relation to intended functions, and a craftsman skilled in the art of building could replicate the invention. The stage's performance floor is crafted from two sheets of HDPE. The rigid base, in the preferred embodiment, is constructed of pressure-treated lumber. Critical is that the HDPE performance floor and base are both weather- and insect-resistant. The type of HDPE used is a black half-inch thick sheet, with a matte finish. The HDPE is a marine grade plastic that does not warp, rot, or deteriorate when exposed to constant humidity or rain. Neither is the HDPE performance floor damaged by UV light, changes in outside temperature, or insects. It is compliant, shrinking slightly in cold- and expanding in hot weather. The HDPE surface layer and wooden base are held together with screws that, in addition to being compatible with treated wood, are rustproof. A critical characteristic is that screws must be long-lasting and ductile.

FIGS. 1-2 illustrate how the invention's pertinent parts, its performance floor 1, bordering trim 4, side ribs 5, outer base boards 6, inner base boards 8, and base cross boards 9 are spatially related. They illustrate the distribution of pilot holes 2 on the surface, the position of the performance floor's only seam 3, the location of ventilation holes 7 in base boards, and how cross boards are rigidly attached with screws 10 to outer 6 and inner 8 base boards. FIG. 3 illustrates the two-tiered nature of pilot holes and resting position of a trim screws 11 that are functionally and structurally critical in anchoring the invention's performance floor 1 to base cross boards 9.

In the preferred embodiment, the base is made using treated lumber [YellaWood® (Great Southern Wood Preserving, Inc., Abbeville, Ala.)]. Key to building the base is that it is square so that the HDPE surface sheets fit snuggly and precisely on top. Outer base boards 6 are standard eight feet long 2-inch×6-inch lumber. To build the square box for the base, two eight-foot long base boards, shortened by cutting off appropriate end pieces (equal to twice the board thickness), are laid in parallel and level on the ground. The other two base boards, are laid perpendicular to and overlap the ends of their grounded counterparts. The two longer, overlapping boards are connected to the two shorter ones with 3.5-inch, star flat-head deck screws (Deck Mate,® distributed by The Home Depot, 2455 Paces Ferry Rd. NW, Atlanta, Ga. 30339) inserted from the outer overlapping boards. Three screws are inserted at each overlap. Assembled, these four boards represent the outer base boards 6 that form the square periphery of the stage's base. Four additional boards, inner base boards 8, each cut on its end to remove a section from its length equal to twice the board thickness, are inserted into the square base, parallel to the two previously cut outer boards, and attached with three 3.5-inch deck screws to opposing outer base boards 6. The base boards 6 and 8 visually separate the base into five similar rectangular compartments, evident in FIG. 2.

Screwed to the top of the compartmentalized square base component, perpendicular to the inner base boards 8, are eight-foot long 1-inch thick×6-inch wide boards. These cross boards 9, as illustrated in FIG. 2, are butted together and screwed to the base boards with a pair of 2-inch star flat-head deck screws (Deck Mate®) 10 at the six contact points each cross board makes with base boards. Thus, each overlying 1-inch×6-inch cross board is secured to the base with twelve screws. The edges of attached cross boards coincide with the perpendicular plane of outer edges of the outer base boards on all four sides. Upon completing attachment of cross boards 9, this component is the stage's wooden base.

On top of the base are laid two sheets of HDPE plastic (54-inch×96-inch and ½-inch thick; manufactured by VYCOM Olefin and PVC Solutions, Scranton, Pa. 18505), comprising the performance floor 1. Each sheet of HDPE weighs 90 pounds. Because the HDPE sheets are 54 inches wide, a 12-inch section is cut off the length of one panel that overlaps the edge of the base, leaving the performance floor 8-feet×8-feet square. This 12-inch “surplus” piece is used to cut the 1-inch bordering trim strips 4 (see FIG. 1) that frame the 8-foot×8-foot HDPE performance floor. The HDPE sheets can be cut easily with saws or blades used to cut regular plywood and can be drilled with regular wood bits. The inner edges of the two surface sheets, when butted together, produce the only seam 3 on the stage's performance floor.

At this point in construction, an 8-foot×8-foot wood base with HDPE performance floor is produced that is sturdy and immobile. Now, ventilation holes 7, one-inch in diameter, are drilled along the outer base boards 6, two inches above the ground and two feet apart. Three ventilation holes 7 on each side of the base allow ground moisture to evaporate and ventilating air to enter behind the baseboards to help keep hidden elements of the base dry. Also, the 2-inch×2-inch side ribs 5, previously cut from lengths of treated 2-inch×4-inch lumber, are attached to outer base boards 6, with their upper surface of the ribs 5 level with the tops of cross boards 9. Attachment is with 3-inch deck screws. As evident in FIG. 1, the side ribs 5 surround the base and serve as the attachment site for the bordering trim 4 that frames the four sides of the performance floor 1. Side ribs 5, designed to support the bordering trim 4, represent the outer most horizontal extensions of the stage (see FIG. 1).

In the preferred embodiment, the two sheets of HDPE comprising the performance floor 1 and the bordering trim 4 are anchored (permanently attached) to the wooden base and ribs 5, respectively, with stainless steel trim screws. FIG. 3 helps understand details of the anchoring process. Anchoring involves drilling two-tiered pilot holes in the HDPE performance floor 1, to insert and position No. 7×1⅝″ trim head stainless-steel square drive screws 11 (Rockier Woodworking and Hardware, Medina, Minn. 55340).

For screw insertion, pilot holes, equal in diameter to the diameter of the threaded portion of the screw, are drilled through the entire thickness of the HDPE sheets (performance floor). The top part of each pilot hole is reamed (enlarged) by drilling from the exposed surface with a bevel-tipped bit equal in diameter to the diameter of the trim screw head. Multiple pilot holes are used in the anchoring process and consistency in drilling the wider tier of the two-tier pilot hole is accomplished by using a device made by the current inventor for this purpose. The device is made using two cylindrical tubes, assembled into an adjustable-length, single cylinder. One piece is a 2¾-inch long hollow brass cylinder threaded on its outer surface (⅜-inch OD and 5/16-inch ID). The second piece is a ⅝-inch long brass collar (⅜-inch ID and 7/16-inch OD), threaded on the inside, that is screwed over the longer cylinder. Assembled, the result is a cylindrical device, with an adjustable collar on one end and the other end being neat.

The reaming drill bit, attached to a drill gun, is inserted into the neat end of the two-piece cylinder and is advanced until stopped by the forward end of the drill gun chuck contacting the neat end of the device. The device's length is then adjusted by hand-twisting the collar on the longer tube until only a ¼-inch of drill bit extends below the collar. At this point a piece of duct tape is wrapped around the juncture of the device's two parts to hold the adjusted position. Then, when used to drill the upper tier of the pilot hole, the bit is stopped from going deeper into the HDPE performance floor 1 than the exposed part of the bit due to the end of the collar contacting the HDPE surface, serving as a stop. Using the device in this disclosed fashion, prevents the bit from going more than half way through the HDPE performance floor 1, providing uniformity in producing multiple two-tiered pilot holes. The shoulder produced where the wider upper tier of the pilot hole meets the smaller diameter lower tier, as illustrated in FIG. 3, is where the ventral surface or underside of the head of the trim screw comes to rest, setting the trim screw's fixed position. This leaves a ⅛-inch distance from top of the trim screw head to the surface plane, effectively countersinking the trim screw. The gap between the trim screw head and the top plane of the performance floor is left open.

The pattern of drilled pilot holes, and subsequently the pattern of trim screws, on the stage performance floor is illustrated in FIG. 1. Pilot holes are inserted 10 inches apart along the periphery of the performance floor 1 and on both sides of the seam 3. Pilot holes are placed an inch inside the outer edge of the HDPE performance floor 1, with one exception. The exception is that four corners of each HDPE sheet are attached with three trim screws guided by pilot holes placed one inch apart in a triangular pattern, as evident in FIG. 1. Once peripheral screws are in place, other screws are inserted through pilot holes drilled over the inner portion of the performance floor, but spaced 20 inches apart in the longitudinal pattern shown in FIG. 1. Trim screws inserted through the pilot holes in the pattern disclosed anchor the HDPE performance floor 1 firmly in place on top of the base cross boards 9 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Once in place, the tops of all trim screw 11 heads lie below the stage's performing surface (FIG. 3). The upper diameter of pilot holes is small enough to present no user-perceptible depressions on the surface.

The insertion of specified stainless steel trim screws into pilot holes arranged in the pattern specified on the stage's performance floor is critical to anchoring the HDPE performance floor to the wooden base. Stainless steel trim screws were chosen in the anchoring process for two primary reasons. These pertain to material characteristics, namely screw length and head diameter, and inherent properties, namely ductile traits, and endurance in harsh weather. Inherently, stainless steel resists corrosion, a factor important in durability outdoors. Considering material characteristics, the length of trim screws is sufficient to securely attach the performance floor 1 to the base by inserting screw shafts through the HDPE performance floor via pilot holes and penetrating the full thickness of the base cross boards 9 (see FIG. 3) with the screws' threaded segments. In their fixed position (FIG. 3) stainless trim screws withstand shear stress (caused by a force acting parallel to the surface) and normal stress (caused by a force acting perpendicular to the surface) resulting from expansion and contraction of the HDPE sheets in response to changes in outside temperature, effectively counteracting stress-related forces tending to detach the performance floor from the stage's base. This stress countermeasure is related to both ductility and head diameter of the stainless trim screws. Stainless steel trim screws coming under pressures of stress, because of ductile properties, are pliable and undergo microscopic deformation (bending) without fracturing. In contrast, carbon steel trim screws, designed specifically for outdoor use and utilized in early iterations of the stage to anchor the performance floor, were brittle and readily fractured under shear stress when the HDPE expanded and contracted. The use of carbon steel trim screws was abandoned and replaced by use of stainless trim screws in the preferred embodiment of the stage. Relative to screw-head diameter, when hot weather caused the HDPE sheets to expand and rise, especially at floor corners, trim screws with relatively small diameter heads, used in early iterations of the stage, pulled through the smaller diameter, lower tier of the pilot holes. Resulting was that the HDPE sheets detached from the base. Use of trim screws with small diameter heads in early iterations of the stage was abandoned in favor of the specified stainless trim screws that have larger diameter heads and are used as specified in the preferred embodiment. The larger-headed trim screws prevent HDPE sheets from rising past the screw-head, maintaining attachment to the base. In the preferred embodiment, when the HPDE does expand there is a faint rise (bowing) in each HDPE sheet between screws on outer edges of the performance floor and the inner row of screws situated parallel to the stage's only seam. This bowing is not perceptible to stage users. Thus, use of specified stainless steel trim screws and the pattern of their installation on the performance floor (FIG. 1) buffer against functionally noticeable changes in the HDPE performance floor caused by shear and normal stresses, and effectively anchor the performance floor to the base component.

The performance floor 1 edges are protected by the bordering trim 4, which surrounds it like a picture frame. After attaching the bordering trim 4, the HPDE and wood corners of the stage are smoothed with sandpaper to remove exposed sharp edges.

When construction of this preferred embodiment of the stage is complete the weight of the stage keeps it firmly on the ground, immobile. The performance floor is well secured. The performance floor, having only a single discreet seam 3, is smooth, firm and hard wearing. The matte finished HDPE surface provides traction for safe walking but facilitates easy voluntary foot movement to allow users to execute smooth gliding moves and routines with ease, confidence and full expression. The HDPE surface allows performers to carry out actions in safety and to use a full range of shoes without damage to delicate materials. The stage is enduring outdoors and requires minimal upkeep. Impermeability to water makes the performance floor easy to clean and dry when needed. Cleaning with water and drying is the only expected between-performance user upkeep required.

The preferred embodiment described is for illustrative purposes and other embodiments are evident, such as increasing or decreasing stage size and shape to change the stage's surface area or height. The rigid wooden base of the stage could be constructed of different woods or man-made simulations, or plastic, such as used for playground equipment. The surface could be made of related HDPE materials of assorted colors and thicknesses. Screws made of different metals and of different configurations could be used to anchor the performance floor. Screws could be inserted in two-tiered pilot holes of sizes different from that disclosed and drilled in different patterns to anchor the HDPE surface. The base of the stage, instead of contacting the ground, could be built on top of a cement slab or paving stones laid on the ground and the HDPE sheets (or partial sheets) could be anchored directly to these grounded structures. Such changes would be evident to those skilled in the craft as obvious modifications and remain within the latitude of the invention's description, scope and claims.

Although designed primarily for home use by developing performing artists, the stage has greater utility. It can be used by homeowners as a site for outdoor tables and chairs or for an umbrella table at poolside. It can serve as a permanent dance floor for outdoor gatherings or a play site for children. It could also be used as an open pavilion on playgrounds or at parks. Support of performance functions for which it is designed, its potential manifold embodiments, its extended utility, its durability outdoors, and its carefree maintenance combine to make the invention unique in its field. 

1. A stage for permanent outdoor use comprising: a performance surface, defining a floor, consisting of high density polyethylene (HDPE) that inherently is weather- and insect resistant, and a base that is rigid and consisting of weather- and insect resistant material, with the said performance floor being anchored (permanently attached) to the said base.
 2. A process, serving to anchor said HDPE performance floor of claim 1, wherein said performance floor of claim 1 is permanently attached to said base of claim 1 using trim screws.
 3. A process of claim 2 serving to anchor said HDPE performance floor of claim 1, wherein each said trim screw of claim 2 is inserted through a two-tiered pilot hole drilled vertically through said HDPE performance floor of claim 1, with the upper half of said pilot hole being of greater diameter than the lower half.
 4. A process of claim 2 serving to anchor said HDPE performance floor of claim 1, wherein said pilot hole of claim 3 is created by drilling a hole, equal in diameter to that of the threaded part of said trim screw of claim 2, through the entire thickness of said HDPE performance floor of claim 1, and then reaming the upper half of the said drilled hole by superimposed drilling from the upper plane of said performance floor with a bevel-tipped bit equal in diameter to the head-width of said trim screw of claim 2 and to a depth of one-fourth inch below the upper plane of said performance floor of claim
 1. 5. A process of claim 2 serving to anchor said HDPE performance floor of claim 1, wherein the tips of said trim screws of claim 2 are inserted through the tops of two-tiered pilot holes drilled of claim 4 and screwed securely (being unable to be withdrawn without use of tools) into the base of claim 1 until tops of screw-heads of said trim screws stop below the upper plane of said performance floor of claim 1, that is in a countersunk position.
 6. A process of claim 2 serving to anchor said HDPE performance floor of claim 1, wherein the fixed, final depth of the head of said trim screw of claim 2, when countersunk as of claim 5, is determined by the underside of said trim screw head coming to rest on the shoulder formed at the juncture of the upper and lower tiers of said two-tiered pilot hole drilled as of claim
 4. 7. A process of claim 2 serving to anchor said HDPE performance floor of claim 1, wherein use of a specified distribution pattern on the surface of said performance floor of said two-tiered pilot holes of claim 3, drilled as of claim 4 in said HDPE performance floor of claim 1 and used for insertion of said trim screws of claim 5, and driving (screwing) said trim screws into said base of claim 1, achieves permanent attachment of said performance floor of claim 1 to said base of claim
 1. 